“We believe this will be a chance for visitors to get familiar with cockroaches,” a spokeswoman at the zoo told Japan Real Time. “There will be opportunities to learn some new facts about them during our events.”

The zoo had organized special exhibits of insects and reptiles for the past few years, which included snakes and centipedes. But due to the popularity of cockroaches, they said they decided to focus only on the insect this year.

Visitors at the event, which will be open until the end of August, will be able to touch the roaches at the zoo if they wish. They will also be able to experience what a cockroach feels like by entering a giant human-sized cockroach trap recreated at the zoo.

The zoo’s spokeswoman said there will be 100 to 200 cockroaches at its event in total. Among them are rare kinds such as the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, she said.

The special exhibit has received mixed reactions on social media, including those who expressed interest in visiting and others who feared it would traumatize them for life if they did.